The Gateway is a family hub at the heart of the community in Yeovil. It has a coffee shop open throughout the week and is a welcoming, go-to place for all parts of the community. It is home to the Lords larder foodbank which provides over 6000 food parcels a year. It is also home to blood donors, and throughout the pandemic has been the main vaccination centre for Yeovil.
In addition to this it runs a significant family support programme providing long term professional support to over 200 families in crisis. These families are referred by schools, health centres, social care, housing associations and other agencies and receive 1 year support to navigate their challenges and build resilience.
We also support vulnerably housed individuals in a similar programme, as well as working collaboratively with other agencies to support our homeless community through detached work, support programmes, case work, and also creating positive action programmes. The Gateway is also a place they are also welcome to drop in to any time for a chat and a coffee. As part of this we run a focused, multi agency drop in every week called Murmurations. It is a place where clients can find space, connection and support. The drop in is supported by GPs, nurses, mental health professionals, sexual health professionals, counsellors, domestic violence workers, debt support workers, skills training, housing advisors, benefits advisors and more. They can learn a musical instrument, create art, play chess and much more.
Visitors to the Gateway can also access a range of other support, including debt support, job club, youth mentoring, parenting courses, English language lessons, someone to talk to, ways to volunteer, creative arts, addiction support groups, events for the over 50’s, parent and toddler groups and youth groups and childrens groups.
Reports:
Yeovil4Family Impact Report 2020.21
Yeovil4Family Community Fieldworker End of Year 2_Brief Analysis
